NORD-LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – It’s called the Night Court – and everything is meant to make the court process easier for people who may not be able to walk during the day.
If you get a parking ticket in North Las Vegas, you can now go to the North Las Vegas Municipal Court after business hours to resolve the issue.
It’s a classic courtroom that works beyond the business day. It’s the first of its kind in Nevada – and the focus is on traffic violations.
Night dish in the north of Las Vegas
Marcos Diaz, a North Las Vegas resident, says dealing with traffic tickets isn’t easy due to his schedule.
“I’m a professional driver, so I’m busy during the day and free in the evenings,” said Diaz.
So he came to the very first night court in North Las Vegas on Tuesday night to address his injury – and he’s grateful for the evening option.
“You can actually have time to come in and take care of what you have to do,” said Diaz.
Chris Lee, chief judge for the North Las Vegas City Court, is handling the cases for the Night Court – which will currently be held about once a month.
“We’re talking about better access to justice,” said Judge Lee.
Judge Lee says the night court is a natural extension of the North Las Vegas Community Approach to Rehabilitation and Engagement (CARE) program, which focuses on the root cause of a violation.
“I’ve heard tons of stories about why their tickets were turned into warrants, and often it was because they just couldn’t get their court cases resolved,” said Judge Lee.
Chris Lee, Chief Justice of the North Las Vegas City Court, handles night court cases
Judge Lee says solving problems during the night court can prevent arrest warrants from affecting someone’s records – and even job prospects.
“We are really proud to be able to offer this to stop these cascading negative effects,” said Judge Lee.
There is a chance the night court could extend to other minor offenses.
“We’ll definitely be open to that,” said Judge Lee.
8 News Now asked Judge Lee what these possible offenses could be.
“A lot of the cases we get are some kind of trespassing, the open container, some of these crimes,” said Judge Lee.
Residents like Diaz say they like the idea of having another option after hours.
“It’s great to have an evening court,” said Diaz.
Judge Lee Tells 8 News Now, he and other city officials will see how the first night court sessions go and then they will decide whether to make changes to the opening hours or the frequency of appointments.
